Field
The present disclosure relates to a tape cartridge capable of supplying tape.
Description of the Related Art
Tape printing devices that perform printing while feeding an adhesive tape (tag tape) comprising an adhesive layer and a separation material layer are already known. According to the tape printing device (tag label producing apparatus) of this prior art, the tape cartridge (tag tape roll body) is mounted to and used in a tape holder storage part. An adhesive tape roll, around which the adhesive tape is wound about an axis in the substantially horizontal direction, is rotatably provided at the tape cartridge. Then, when the tape cartridge is mounted to the tape holder storage part, the adhesive tape is fed out and fed by the rotation of the adhesive tape roll. Preferred print is formed on the fed adhesive tape, generating an adhesive tape with print. At the time of use, the separation material layer is peeled from the generated adhesive tape with print by the user. Then, utilizing the adhesive force of the adhesive layer exposed by the peeling of the separation material layer, the adhesive tape with print is affixed to a suitable object to be affixed intended by the user.
From the viewpoint of improving the handling performance by the user, in a case where the separation material layer is to be peeled from the adhesive tape at the time of use as described above, conceivably the peeled separation material layer can also be formed into a roll similar to the adhesive tape, and these two rolls (the adhesive tape roll and the separation material roll) can be incorporated as a single cartridge. In this case, at the time of tape cartridge use, the adhesive tape is consumed by being fed out and fed from the adhesive tape roll. On the other hand, the separation material layer generated by the feeding of the adhesive tape is wound around the separation material roll.
As a result of a mode of use such as described above, according to the tape cartridge, in an unused state (or a state of a short history of usage), a large amount of adhesive tape that has not yet been fed out remains on the adhesive tape roll and the separation material layer is substantially not wound (or not very much wound) around the separation material roll. Accordingly, the adhesive tape roll side is heavier in terms of the weight distribution of the overall cartridge. Then, after the tape cartridge is used for a relatively long period of time, the amount of adhesive tape that has not yet been fed out and remains on the adhesive tape roll decreases, and the amount of separation material layer wound around the separation material roll increases. Accordingly, the separation material roll side is heavier in terms of the weight distribution of the overall cartridge.
That is, the weight balance between the adhesive tape roll side and the separation material roll side changes according to the length of the history of usage of the tape cartridge. As a result, the problem arises that when the tape cartridge is handled and the operator holds a section of the adhesive tape roll side and a section of the separation material roll side using both hands, the left-right balance differs according to the length of the history of usage, making handling difficult.